I am a senior travel consultant, 30 plus years in the industry. Prior to that I was a Junior
High School teacher, smaller than my students in height and almost the same age. I had
been so young and eager for an exciting career (yes, at 20 teaching was an exciting career!), but teaching geography didn’t fulfill my travel wanderlust. Travel was in my blood, and here I have landed, still loving my career choice and still having fun traveling the world, accompanied these days by my wonderful teenage son.

I came to this business from social work and for the first ten years or so, kept thinking I’d have to get back to a “real job” eventually.  I figured, until I got there, why not have a little fun?  Since then, I’ve been to Bhutan, Tibet, Ethiopia, Vietnam, the Arctic Circle and on and on. I’ve hiked the Andes, the Himalayas, the Simien Mountains, and the Tonkinese Alps. There’s a set of “Most Famous Travel Hikes” on Trekkers’ “to-do list” that include Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the Inca Trail in Peru, and the Milford Track in New Zealand... by now, I’ve done and loved them all.  

My yen for exotic travel was established early with a high school graduation trip to Hawaii, and the experience prompted me to swap my business-school plans for a career in travel ~I've never looked back. My own journeys have taken me to every continent (except Antarctica -- too cold!) and exposed me to most wonders of this world. The apex of my travels include roughing it on a safari in Africa, reaching places even most adventurers never see, and camping in the shadow of elephants and giraffes.

I founded Aston Loyd Travel in 1994 with the goal of providing the very best personalized travel consulting services, mainly to vacationers. Over the years, because of their good experiences with Aston Loyd, many of our vacation clients have now assigned their business travel needs to us as well.
 

My first trip out of the U.S. was at age 19 to do volunteer work in Ghana. It sparked a lifelong passion in me for experiencing other cultures that has taken me to the far corners of the Earth. While I specialize in travel to New Zealand, Peru, the Caribbean, Israel, and Egypt, I have years of experience helping people fulfill their travel dreams all over the world.

With four decades of travel industry experience and with the ability to draw upon the incredible professional resources of my Travel Collaborative peers, I work closely with my clients to consider their options and to plan successful travel experiences … After all these years, I continue to be drawn to European travel; I have a particular affinity for designing special itineraries of Ireland and other Celtic lands … With a personal commitment to life-long learning, I emphasize travel experiences that allow my clients to be engaged with and active at destinations.

I have been in the Travel Industry since 1984 and a part of the Travel Collaborative since 1994.  After all these years I am still thrilled with the adventure and idea of travel. The thought of hopping on a plane and in just a few hours stepping off and being somewhere across the globe still fascinates and excites me.

My World So Far…

Mi amore Italia!  Si, Italy is my heart and soul, but it would be my pleasure to customize your dream vacation wherever your next journey may be.

Allow me to entice you: Mediterranean treasures, Wildlife Safari, Health & Wellness Spa getaway, hiking or biking adventure, the Tropics - Hawaii, Caribbean, South Pacific...  Let's not forget Disney, the happiest place on earth!

Since I was a little girl I can remember daydreaming of far off places and now after 25 years of helping my clients to have the trip of their dreams I am as passionate and grateful as ever to be in this business. Whether one travels for the love of the unexpected, the opportunity to frame moments or the awareness of new cultures it is one of life's greatest pleasures. Although I have many favorite destinations I feel a special affection for the Mediterranean countries of Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece.